Ice Cold
by AshleyBelleTheGinger
Summary: Crythin Gifford still stands in modern day. It now stands as a city. People bounce around names that do not fit. New London. Burning Creek. Many others. But one name stays. Misty Hollow. Sisters Sapphire and Emerald Thompson now live in Eel Marsh House, but renamed it as Misty Hollow Manor. What they don't know is...she is there with them...
1. Chapter One: She Watches

(**A/N: Now that Crythin Gifford is a city named Misty Hollow, there are more stores and roads leading to Misty Hollow Manor. There's also a school for elementary, one for middle, one for high school.)**

Chapter One

The school bus roared around the corner and the bus driver slammed on the brakes, sending the students careening forward. The doors groaned open and two girls stepped off. The older one, Sapphire Rose Thompson, was a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl with long golden hair and sapphire eyes. Her fourteen-year-old sister, Emerald Renee Thompson, looked exactly the opposite. She was still beautiful, of course, but her hair was long and dark brown, and her eyes were the brightest shade of emerald. They both walked down the street to their large two-story house. There were two cars in the driveway when sometimes there were four. They stopped on the front porch so Sapphire could dig in her bag for her house key. She unlocked the door to the foyer. As usual, there was no one inside the house except for Emerald's German Shepherd, Java, and Sapphire's tabby cat, Bean, who Sapphire stopped to pet while Emerald went into the kitchen to feed her dog. There was a yellow Post-It note stuck to the top of the refrigerator and Emerald read it.

"Girls, don't wait up for me. I am going to be late from work because someone brought a new case in and I have to read it. Fix yourselves a meal and then do whatever you want. You can even have boys over if you like.

Love, Violet (Mom)"

Emerald was very irritated. "How come Mom's never home? Is her job really that important?" She said. There was no answer. "Sapphire?" Emerald looked in the foyer and her sister was not there. Neither was her cat. All of a sudden, Emerald heard a loud crash and a piercing scream from her parents' bedroom. Frightened, Emerald shrieked, "Sapphire!" and ran to the stairs. Before she could climb them, however, the doorbell rang. Emerald groaned and stomped to the front door and pulled it open.

Sapphire's seventeen-year-old friend Dennis Henrickson stood on the front porch, grinning. "Hey Emmie, what's up?" Emerald blushed, as she always did around Dennis. "Your sister here, Emmie? I gotta talk to her about something," he said. "Um-uh-okay," she stammered, and led him into the living room. Emerald looked behind her before she walked away, and Dennis winked at her. She smiled, then turned and bounded up the stairs. Java was waiting in the doorway to her parents' room, whining. Bean was there too. Emerald looked down and saw shattered glass all over the hardwood floor. She frowned and followed the trail to the bathroom.

In the bathroom, Emerald saw the mirror. There was a big black hole in the middle where the mirror should be, and shattered glass was _everywhere_. On the floor lay a destroyed boom box, its speakers blown out and the entire thing ruined. Emerald opened the closet door and saw her sister. Sapphire was clutching her bloody hand to her chest because of the deep gouge wound running across it. She turned to Emerald and said, choking, "You were right, Em. There's a very mean ghost living here and it threw the boom box at the mirror and the mirror shattered and I was so scared and I ran in the closet and it was banging on the door and it wouldn't leave me alone and-" "Shhh, it's okay, Sapphire, calm down." She snatched a scarf from her mother's side of the closet and wrapped her sister's hand in it. "Come on. Dennis is downstairs. He said he had to talk to you. You can tell me about the ghost later." Emerald slowly led her sister downstairs to the living room.

"Okay, you can let go now. Emerald, let go! I'm fine!" Sapphire shrugged off her sister's hand. Dennis looked shocked. "What happened to your hand?" "Nothing. It's a long story." Emerald was very impatient. "What did you need to talk about, Dennis?" she bounced on her feet. Dennis turned and gave her his look that meant she needed to leave. "Fine, I'll just go make myself useful in the kitchen," she sulked, and stalked away.

"What is it, Dennis?" Sapphire whispered as her sister banged pots and pans in the kitchen. "I wanted to talk to you about your sister," he whispered back. "Is that why you didn't want her in here?" "Yeah." "What about Emerald?" Sapphire asked. "You know how I said that I didn't have any feelings for my girl friends?" "Yeah," Sapphire replied suspiciously. "Well, I have feelings for Emmie." Sapphire was shocked. "Dennis, she's fourteen! And you're seventeen! What are you thinking?" "I know she feels the same way! She blushes nonstop when I'm around and she's always so bouncy around me!" Sapphire sighed, frustrated. "Okay, so why are you telling me this?" she groaned. "Because I want your permission to date her."

Emerald was sadly making dinner in the kitchen as her sister and Dennis whispered together in the living room. She had heard a few words, like "Seventeen" and "Permission" and "Date" and "Bouncy". She assumed that meant that Dennis and Sapphire were going to date. She sighed. She wanted that to happen between herself and Dennis, not her stupid sister. She started daydreaming until she dropped a very hot pan on her foot, which left a _huge_ blister around her ankle. Emerald bit her lip, trying not to scream as she waddled out of the kitchen, saying ow with every step. She limped through the living room as Dennis and Sapphire watched. Dennis was amused. "Something wrong, Emmie?" he smirked. "I dropped a hot pan on my foot, stupid!" Emerald snapped, hobbling her way to the bathroom and slamming the door. "Yikes," Dennis said, shocked. "You want to stay for dinner, Dennis? Emerald always makes enough," Sapphire said, changing the subject. "Yeah, sure, whatever," Dennis said, distracted. "Earth to Dennis! Stop daydreaming, dude!" "I'm sorry! I can't stop thinking about her," Dennis grinned.

Emerald started by looking for a lighter and a needle so she could deflate the blister before it got infected. She felt bad for yelling at Dennis because he didn't deserve that. If only he knew how frustrated she was, then he would understand. She found the lighter and set it on the counter. Then she turned to look in the medicine cabinet for the needle. She almost stabbed her finger in her haste to pull it out. When she turned around, the lighter was gone. She turned to look for it and she felt something pushing her. She hit her eye on the sharp edge of the counter with a shocking crash. Emerald crumpled on the floor. After a few minutes, she found the strength to stand up and look in the mirror. Her eye looked bad. The whole eye was bruised and bloody. "Emerald?" Sapphire said, right outside the door. "Go away!" Sapphire's footsteps faded away. Only then did Emerald open the door. She held her hand to her eye as she walked by Dennis. "You okay, Emmie?" he said. Emerald ignored him and stomped to the kitchen. The dinner was almost done cooking. "Em, Dennis is staying for dinner!" her sister yelled. "Great," Emerald said sarcastically.

Emerald refused to talk as she stabbed the serving spoon into the dish. Dennis was behind her, trying to get her attention. "Emmie, you can't just ignore me. Why won't you look at me?" he pleaded. She just shook her head. Finally Dennis grabbed her waist and turned her to him. She turned her bad eye away from him. "Look at me," he said softly. She turned her eye to him. He gasped. "What happened?" "Nothing," she replied, stepping away from him and taking the plates to the dining room and slammed them down on the placemats. Sapphire looked at her, then did a double take. "Em, what's wrong with your eye?" Sapphire whispered, making sure Dennis was out of earshot.

"Your stupid ghost friend paid me a visit," Emerald snapped, then stalked back into the kitchen. Dennis was waiting for her. "You forgot to serve yourself dinner, Emmie," he said gently. "I'm not eating dinner. And don't call me Emmie!" Emerald snarled, then turned and ran out of the room. Sapphire raised her eyebrow. Dennis came to stand by her. "Great. Now how am I gonna ask her?" he sighed, exasperated.

"Go now, while she's reading. That's when she's calmest. GO, Dennis!" Sapphire growled, pushing him up the stairs. "Fine," he grumbled. He found Emerald's room and knocked on the door. "_What do you want, Dennis?!_" Emerald yelled. "Just to talk," he replied. Inside her room, Emerald had had it. She stomped to the door and opened it a crack. "I don't want to talk to anyone right now, much less you!" she snapped. She closed the door again and flopped back on her bed. She pulled out the "book". It was really a painting. A portrait of her and Dennis. In the painting he was holding her protectively. Emerald grabbed her paints out of the drawer and finished the painting. She was just closing the mirrored sliding closet door when she heard her door open. Next thing she knew, Dennis was behind her.

"Go away." "No." "Dennis, go away. I'm warning you!" Dennis shook his head. He glanced around the room. "What? Is there something wrong with my room?" Emerald snapped. Dennis frowned. He could see the white edge of canvas poking out of the closet. "What are you doing?" Emerald said nervously, seeing as he was walking over to the closet. Dennis was trying to pull the canvas out. Emerald walked to the closet, shoved the canvas back inside, and slammed the door closed. "No," she said. "What is it?" Dennis asked. "None of your business," Emerald replied. "What book were you reading?" Emerald was startled. "What?" "What book were you reading, Emmie?" "I-uh-the one on the, um, dresser," she stammered. Dennis tried so hard not to laugh at her. "What? What's so funny?" "Your school handbook? You weren't reading a book, were you?" "No," Emerald scowled. "You were working on whatever's on that canvas in the closet." "Good going, Sherlock!" Emerald said very sarcastically. His gaze shifted to the closet. Emerald ran to the closet door and was in front of it in less than two seconds.

"Little jumpy, are we?" Dennis was confused. Emerald looked like a frightened rabbit facing death. He pulled her away from the door and slid the door open. "Whoa..." The closet was filled not with clothes, but with paintings. Dennis picked up the one that was poking out of the door and held it up. It looked like a real picture. Of Dennis and Emerald. He placed it on the bed, smiling. He pulled the next one off the shelf. "Don't look at that one," Emerald whispered. "Okay, I won't." He picked the one of him and Emerald again. "Were you working on this during dinner?" She nodded. "Guess someone's been daydreaming, huh?" Emerald looked away. "Emmie?" "What?" "Can I tell you something?" "Depends on what it is." "It's about you...and me," Dennis grinned. Emerald finally looked up. "What do you mean? I heard you and Sapphire talking about dating earlier. You're just another guy who wants to have my sister all to himself, so why should I care what you think about me? Like that's ever going to happen, anyway, what with her staring at me all the time." "Who?" "No one. Forget I said anything. Look, if we're just going to talk about how much you want to date my sister, then leave. I have enough to worry about than to be sad about myself." Emerald turned the other way and faced the window. "I do have someone I want to date, but it's not your sister." "Still. I don't want to hear it." "Emmie." "What?!" "You're the one I want to date, not your sister. Why do you think I like your painting so much?" Emerald stopped rocking and went absolutely still.

Emerald was still for maybe more than five minutes. Finally she turned away from the window. "She was wrong. She was wrong about everything. She said I wouldn't be able to have anyone who had feelings for me. She's wrong. As usual." "Who's wrong?" "My mom, she always told me I was too stupid and ugly to get a boyfriend." Dennis sat on the bed and held Emerald for a while. "It's okay, I'm here for you." At that moment, Sapphire opened the door and saw Dennis holding her sister protectively. She smiled. "Good work, Dennis." She walked away. Emerald fell asleep in Dennis' arms. Dennis moved, like he was going to leave. "No, don't go. Stay with me, Dennis. Please?" The last thing she heard before she fell away was, "Always."


	2. Chapter Two: She Knows

Chapter Two: She Knows

She watches her. The girl with the green eyes. Her next victim. How could they not know what lives in their house? Well, not lives, but exists. The girl is better off not knowing the woman's past. The woman had put her son's body back into the marsh. No one should be so foolish as to dig it up again. Like Arthur Kipps. Meddling where he doesn't belong, going through all her letters to Alice, bringing his son to Crythin Gifford. He saw her, so the children started dying. But they will see. She will _make_ them see. Emerald is hers. She will make sure of it.

Now, how to deal with that pesky sister of Emerald...

The mirror trick did not work. She tried to give Emerald a subtle warning when she gave her the bloody eye, but that didn't work either. Emerald knows she's been watching, though. Emerald will never know what hit her.

No one defies the Woman in Black.

She knows.

**(A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short. I wanted to do this from the Woman in Black's perspective, so I kept it short and suspenseful...Hope you enjoy and leave a review telling me what you think of the story so far!)**


	3. Chapter Three: She Never Forgives

Chapter 3: She Never Forgives

The girl with the blue eyes, what was her name? Oh, right. Sapphire. Such a pretty name for a pretty girl. It was a shame that the girl wouldn't live to see her 17th birthday. Wait. A shame? The Woman in Black feels no shame. She only feels anger and hate clouding her. She hangs in the corner of the room that was once the nursery, unseen by the people who live in the house. This room once belonged to her little Nathaniel, before the marshes stole his life away from her. Now this room has been converted into a bedroom. The other girl's room. Emerald. The next victim. Usually the victims were much younger than 14, but the Woman in Black had taken a special interest in this one.

As if she had materialized merely by thought, Emerald bounced into the room. She won't see the figure standing behind the dark curtains. But she will see what's on the bed when she pulls back the covers. Her piercing scream assures that she had, in fact, seen the rotting corpse left as a gift from the Woman in Black. The dripping blood spells out a single sentence. One that sends chills through the petite girl. _I'm coming for you next. _

The day was bright and sunny, but the Woman in Black did not enjoy it. She loathed sunshine. She hadn't been able to feel it since Nathaniel was alive. Once again, the dark cloud of anger and hate grew ever darker and pulsated with the strength of negative emotions. Soon, another incident would occur to truly make the family believe in ghosts. Of course, the Woman in Black was much more than just a silly ghost. She was a malevolent spirit, one that wished to harm others for the sheer pleasure of seeing their pain, watching as the splash of crimson blood dripped onto the floor.

Her drifting mind was quite a disturbing place to be, really. If you could call it a mind.

Now the time has come to start the plan of destroying the victim and her family…..

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_Emerald knew she was in a dream. She was standing in what should have been her family's garden, but it was not. It was a graveyard. She watched as a strange man with black hair and startling blue eyes frantically searched for someone. "Who's there?" he said with a British accent. A white flash and she was standing in someone's dining room. She turned around and that man was there again with another man, looking at a picture of a young boy. Nicholas, the other man called the boy._

_Then an aging woman who looked quite frail was escorted into the room. She said something and left again. Emerald frowned. What was going on? In a moment, she returned holding two Chihuahuas dressed in white-and-blue sailor outfits, complete with hats. She handed one to a Butler and took the other and set it into a tiny chair meant for an infant at the table. Then they were making conversation while she was spoon-feeding the dog. Emerald tuned back into the conversation as the woman was saying, "I painted it myself." She gestured to a painting of the young boy in a gray outfit. She mentioned something he enjoyed doing. "He still does," she added._

_"Elizabeth," the older man warned. Elizabeth's movements were becoming jerky and puppet-like. "He wants to draw you a picture," she spat. ""Elizabeth," he hissed. Elizabeth spread the silverware apart on the table. She picked up a knife and groaned, stabbing it into the table and gouging deep into it. "Get the medication!" he shouted. The black-haired, blue-eyed man sat stock-still, watching with wide eyes. "MEDICATION!" the older man screamed, and the Butler rushed in with a damp cloth and handed it to the older man, who grabbed it and pressed it to his wife's face. She struggled wildly but soon calmed down, dropping the knife. It made a loud _clang _as it fell. Emerald walked around the table and peered down at the sloppy drawing._

_It was a person being hanged._

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Emerald shot up, gasping. The name of the black haired man suddenly came to her, as if someone had planted it inside her brain. Arthur Kipps. He was from London. He had a son named Joseph, and he was a widower. His wife's name had been Stella, and she had died in childbirth. Emerald pressed her hands to the sides of her head as the information kept flowing. The older man was Sam Daily and his son had died. Drowning. That's who Nicholas was. Elizabeth Daily was Sam's wife and pretended her chihuahuas were actual children so as to conceal the pain of losing Nicholas. Emerald shook her head and crawled back under the covers. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take her.

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_She was standing in the attic of the hotel across the water. Hollow Arms. But this was how it must have looked in older times. There were three beds, and three little girls were having a tea party with porcelain dolls. They poured the tea and helped the dolls drink. The girls had red hair. One had a sweet, pudgy face, and her hair was stick-straight. Another girl had huge eyes and an angular face, but her hair had some slight wave to it. The other little girl was extremely pale, and her hair was shorter and wildly curly. As if controlled, they all turned to look in the back corner. Emerald looked too, and gasped. It was her. The Woman who was always in a black gown that swept the floor and veil the same length. Her face was old and wrinkled, as if she were a walking corpse. The girls looked away, at each other, then slowly got up. They walked in unison to the the three tall windows, dropping the tea cups and they fell to the ground and shattered. They stepped on the porcelain doll heads and snapped them. The little girls unlatched the windows, their movements robotic, and stepped up onto the window sill. After a second of hesitation, they jumped. Emerald heard a woman's shrill scream and rushed to the window and looked down. The three red-haired little girls were on the ground, their limbs splayed and their necks hanging at an unnatural angle. Their mother was crouched over them, sobbing hysterically. Emerald turned away and looked at the woman in the corner. Beneath the veil, her cracked and decaying lips curled upward into an evil smile, gazing at Emerald, then turning and walked into the door, disappearing like silvery mist that shrouded the marshland._

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End file.
